HIGH RISK RHEUMATIC AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES RESEARCH
RELEASE DATE: October 16, 2003
RFA Number: RFA-AR-04-002
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS:
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
(http://www.nih.gov)
COMPONENTS OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS:
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
(http://www.niams.nih.gov/)
CATALOGUE OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER(S): 93.486
LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE: November 17, 2003
APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: December 16, 2003
THIS RFA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
o Purpose of this RFA
o Research Objectives
o Mechanism(s) of Support
o Funds Available
o Eligible Institutions
o Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators
o Special Requirements
o Where to Send Inquiries
o Letter of Intent
o Submitting an Application
o Supplementary Instructions
o Peer Review Process
o Review Criteria
o Receipt and Review Schedule
o Award Criteria
o Required Federal Citations
PURPOSE OF THIS RFA
The purpose of this initiative is to broaden the base of inquiry in
fundamental biomedical, biobehavioral, and biomedical technology research by
encouraging applications for research projects that involve an especially
high degree of innovation and novelty and, therefore, require a preliminary
test of feasibility. The goal is to solicit research applications with the
potential for developing groundbreaking technology or methodology that may
lead to significant expansion of biomedical research horizons, precipitate a
paradigm shift in research, or lead to substantial improvements in human
health. Research projects proposed under this Request for Applications (RFA)
may involve substantial experimental risks such that their potential for
highly significant outcomes may be difficult to judge by the standard
criteria used in evaluating investigator initiated (R01) proposals.
Preliminary data are not required. The work proposed may not overlap with
the aims of currently supported projects or those in which the Principal
Investigator has participated during the past five years. Proposed projects
must support the mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).
Two kinds of experienced and established investigators are sought. First,
experienced and established investigators in rheumatic or musculoskeletal or
skin diseases are encouraged to present a proposal for testing the
feasibility of a novel idea, resource or technology. The project should
represent a clear and distinctly different approach from the investigator's
current and previous (past 5 years) research. Second, experienced and
established investigators with no previous work in rheumatic or
musculoskeletal or skin diseases are encouraged to apply their expertise to
research that is relevant to rheumatic or musculoskeletal or skin diseases.
This request for applications should not be considered for new investigators
without previous grant experience.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The NIAMS seeks to broaden the base of inquiry in fundamental biomedical,
biobehavioral, and biomedical technology research by encouraging research
projects that involve a high degree of innovation and novelty. Because
innovative projects may require a preliminary test of feasibility, this
initiative will provide short-term support for such preliminary work. Each
research plan should include a brief description of how the proposed project
represents a high degree of innovation and novelty that complements but does
not duplicate the applicant's currently funded research. The projects must
support the NIAMS mission as detailed in the NIAMS Web page, which can be
found at http://www.nih.gov/niams/about/ep1.htm. In brief, the NIAMS
supports research in: a) rheumatic diseases; b) cartilage biology and
diseases; c) bone biology and diseases (e.g., osteogenesis imperfecta,
Paget's disease); d) skin biology and skin diseases; e) autoimmune diseases
(e.g., lupus, rheumatoid arthritis); f) connective tissue diseases; g)
musculoskeletal diseases (e.g., osteoarthritis, osteoporosis) h)
musculoskeletal imaging; i) injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal
system; j) muscle biology and diseases (e.g., muscular dystrophy); k)
exercise physiology and musculoskeletal fitness; l) sports injuries; m)
occupational diseases and injuries; and n) orthopaedic and bioengineering
topics.
MECHANISM (S) OF SUPPORT
This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
exploratory/developmental research grant, R21, award mechanism.
Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed
project will be solely that of the applicant. Applicants may request up to
$50,000 (direct costs) per year for up to two years. These awards are not
renewable. If desired, the specific aims of the R21 project may be expanded
and serve as the basis for a larger research grant application (R01)
submitted prior to the termination of the R21 award. This RFA is a one-time
solicitation. This RFA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the modular
budgeting format. (see
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm). Specifically,
when an application is submitted with direct costs in each year of $250,000
or less, the modular budget format should be used.
FUNDS AVAILABLE
It is anticipated that for FY 2004, approximately $1,200,000 total costs will
be available for the first year of support for this initiative. Award of
grants is contingent upon the receipt of such funds for this purpose. It is
anticipated that up to 20 new grants will be awarded under this program. The
specific number to be funded will depend on the merit and scope of the
applications received and on the availability of funds. Direct costs are
limited to $50,000 and will be awarded in modules of $25,000, less any
overlap or other necessary administrative adjustments. Facilities and
Administrative costs will be awarded based on the negotiated rates.
Applicants may request up to two years of support.
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS
You may submit (an) application(s) if your institution has any of the
following characteristics:
o For profit or nonprofit organizations
o Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals,
and laboratories
o Units of State and local governments
o Eligible agencies of the Federal government
o Domestic or foreign institutions/organizations
o Faith-based or community-based organizations
INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
For this solicitation, individuals with an established research career and
the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed
research are invited to work with their institutions to develop an
application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic
groups as well as individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to
apply for support from NIAMS programs.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
The Background and Significance Section of application must include a brief
section (one page or less) entitled "Eligibility for High Risk RFA" that
states the innovative and high risk aspects of the project that distinguish
it from currently funded projects in the PI's and collaborators'
laboratories. The following concerns should be specifically addressed:
1) Innovation & Novelty: Does the proposed project represent a high
degree of innovation and novelty?
2) Lack of overlap with current work: Does the proposed project have
specific overlap with current work from the PI? If the proposed work is
complementary to ongoing research, why couldn't it be carried out within the
framework of currently funded studies?
3) High risk: Explain how the high gain potential of the project, if
successful, offsets the high risk of failure.
4) Justification of eligibility of PI: Provide evidence of PI's
established research career.
WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES
We encourage inquiries concerning this RFA and welcome the opportunity to
answer questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into three
areas: programmatic/general, peer review, and financial or grants management
issues: Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to the most
appropriate person listed on the web site
(http://www.niams.nih.gov/rtac/prog_staff/director.htm) according to
scientific area.
o For general inquiries about this RFA contact:
Alan N.Moshell, M.D.
Skin Diseases Branch
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
One Democracy Plaza
6701 Democracy Blvd., Suite 800 Bethesda, MD 20892_4872
Telephone: (301) 594_5017
FAX: (301) 480_4543
Email: alan_n_moshell@nih.gov
o Direct your questions about peer review issues to:
Aftab A. Ansari, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
NIH-NIAMS
6701 Democracy Blvd, Suite 800
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: 301-594-4952
Fax: 301-402-2406
Email: ansaria@mail.nih.gov
o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to:
Melinda Nelson
Grants Management Officer National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases One Democracy Plaza
6701 Democracy Blvd. Suite 800
Bethesda, MD 20892_4872
Telephone: (301) 594_3535
FAX: (301) 480_5450
Email: nelsonm@mail.nih.gov
LETTER OF INTENT
Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes
the following information:
o Descriptive title of the proposed research;
o Name, address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator;
o Names of other key personnel;
o Other participating institutions
o Number and title of this RFA.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, does not commit
the sender to submit an application, and does not enter into the review of a
subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to
estimate the potential review workload and plan the review. The letter of
intent should be sent to:
Aftab A. Ansari, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
NIH-NIAMS
6701 Democracy Blvd, Suite 800
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: 301-594-4952
Fax: 301-402-2406
Email: ansaria@mail.nih.gov
SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application
instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). Applications must have a DUN and
Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the
Universal Identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative
agreements. The DUNS number can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or
through the web site at http://www.dunandbradstreet.com/. The DUNS number
should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form. The PHS
398 document is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive
format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267,
Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS: The research plan (a-d) is limited to 10 pages.
APPLICATIONS THAT EXCEED THE PAGE LIMIT WILL BE RETURNED WITHOUT REVIEW. A
Preliminary Data section is not required. If included in R21 applications,
it should not exceed one page. The Background and Significance Section of
application must include, at the beginning, a brief section (one page or
less) entitled "Eligibility for High Risk RFA" in which the PI specifically
addresses the following concerns: 1) Innovation & Novelty: Does the proposed
project represent a high degree of innovation and novelty? 2) Lack of
overlap with current work: Does the proposed project have specific overlap
with current work from the PI? If the proposed work is complementary to
ongoing research, why couldn't it be carried out within the framework of
currently funded studies? 3) High risk: Explain how the high gain potential
of the project, if successful, offsets the high risk of failure. 4)
Justification of eligibility of PI: Provide evidence of PI's established
research career. An appendix may be included in the application; however,
the appendix is not to be used to circumvent the page limit of the research
plan.
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR GRANT APPLICATIONS: Applications requesting
up to $250,000 per year in direct costs must be submitted in a modular grant
format. The modular grant format simplifies the preparation of the budget in
these applications by limiting the level of budgetary detail. Applicants
request direct costs in $25,000 modules. Section C of the research grant
application instructions for the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html includes step by step
guidance for preparing modular grants. Additional information on modular
grants is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm.
USING THE RFA LABEL: The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001)
application form must be affixed to the bottom of the face page of the
application. Type the RFA number (AR_03_009) on the label. Failure to use
this label could result in delayed processing of the application such that it
may not reach the review committee in time for review. In addition, the RFA
title and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application
form and the YES box must be marked. The RFA label is also available at:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/labels.pdf.
SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH: Submit a signed, typewritten original of
the application, including the Checklist, and three signed, photocopies, in
one package to:
Center for Scientific Review
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710
Bethesda, MD 20892_7710
Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service)
At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application and all
copies of the appendix material must be sent to:
Aftab A. Ansari, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
NIH-NIAMS
6701 Democracy Blvd, Suite 800
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: 301-594-4952
Fax: 301-402-2406
Email: ansaria@mail.nih.gov
APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received on or before the
application receipt date listed in the heading of this RFA. If an
application is received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant
without review.
Although there is no immediate acknowledgement of the receipt of an
application, applicants are generally notified of the review and funding
assignment within 8 weeks.
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.
However, when a previously unfounded application, originally submitted as an
investigator-initiated application, is to be submitted in response to an RFA,
it is to be prepared as a NEW application. That is, the application for the
RFA must not include an Introduction describing the changes and improvements
made, and the text must not be marked to indicate the changes from the
previous unfunded version of the application.
PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and
responsiveness by the NIAMS. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
In addition, applications will be reviewed by NIAMS for responsiveness to the
RFA after receipt of application and prior to review. If the application is
not determined to be responsive to the RFA, NIAMS staff will either return
the application to the applicant or contact the applicant to clarify
questions of suitability.
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated
for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group
convened by the NIAMS in accordance with the review criteria stated below.
As part of the initial merit review, all applications will:
o Undergo a process in which only those applications deemed to have the
highest scientific merit, generally the top half of the applications under
review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score
o Receive a written critique
o Receive a second level review by the National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases Advisory Council.
REVIEW CRITERIA
The goals of NIH supported research are to advance our understanding of
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health. For
this initiative, the proposed project must have the potential for developing
groundbreaking technology or methodology that may lead to significant
expansion of biomedical research horizons, precipitate a paradigm shift in
research, or lead to substantial improvements in human health. In the
written comments, reviewers will be asked to evaluate the application in
order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research will have a
substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals. The scientific review group
will address and consider each of the following criteria in assigning the
application’s overall score, weighting them as appropriate for each
application.
o Significance
o Approach
o Innovation
o Investigator
o Environment
The application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged
likely to have major scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority
score. For example, an investigator may propose to carry out work that by its
nature is not innovative but is essential to move a field forward.
SIGNIFCANCE: Does the proposed study have potential for the development of
groundbreaking technology or methodology that may lead to significant
expansion of biomedical research horizons, precipitate a paradigm shift in
research, or lead to substantial improvements in human health? If the aims
of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced?
What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that
drive this field?
APPROACH: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses
adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the
project? Does the investigator acknowledge potential problem areas and
consider alternative tactics?
INNOVATION: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods?
Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing
paradigms or seek to develop new methodologies or technologies? Does the
high gain potential of the project, if successful, offset the high risk of
failure?
INVESTIGATOR: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to
carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level
of the principal investigator and other researchers (if any)?
ENVIRONMENT: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done
contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments take
advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful
collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?
ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, the following
items will be considered in the determination of scientific merit and the
priority score:
PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS FROM RESEARCH RISK: The involvement of human
subjects and protections from research risk relating to their participation
in the proposed research will be assessed. (See criteria included in the
section on Federal Citations, below).
INCLUSION OF WOMEN, MINORITIES AND CHILDREN IN RESEARCH: The adequacy of
plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic groups
(and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the
research. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be
evaluated. (See Inclusion Criteria in the sections on Federal Citations,
below).
CARE AND USE OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS IN RESEARCH: If vertebrate animals are to
be used in the project, the five items described under Section f of the PHS
398 research grant application instructions (rev. 5/2001) will be assessed.
ADDITIONAL REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS
BUDGET: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period
of support in relation to the proposed research.
RECEIPT AND REVIEW SCHEDULE
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: November 17, 2003
Application Receipt Date: December 16, 2003
Peer Review Date: June/July 2004
Council Review: September 2004
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: December 2004
AWARD CRITERIA
Award criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:
o Scientific merit (as determined by peer review)
o Availability of funds
o Programmatic priorities.
REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS
HUMAN SUBJECTS PROTECTION: Federal regulations (45CFR46) require that
applications and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated with
reference to the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection against
these risks, the potential benefits of the research to the subjects and
others, and the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained.
http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm
DATA AND SAFETY MONITORING PLAN: Data and safety monitoring is required for
all types of clinical trials, including physiologic, toxicity, and dose-
finding studies (phase I); efficacy studies (phase II); efficacy,
effectiveness and comparative trials (phase III). The establishment of data
and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for multi-site clinical
trials involving interventions that entail potential risk to the
participants. (NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide for
Grants and Contracts, June 12, 1998:
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).
INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL RESEARCH: It is the policy of
the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their sub-populations
must be included in all NIH-supported clinical research projects unless a
clear and compelling justification is provided indicating that inclusion is
inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of
the research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993
(Section 492B of Public Law 103-43).
All investigators proposing clinical research should read the "NIH Guidelines
for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research -
Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
on October 9, 2001
(https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html);
a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm.
The amended policy incorporates: the use of an NIH definition of clinical
research; updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance with the new OMB
standards; clarification of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical
trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398; and updated roles and
responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural community. The policy
continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials that: a)
all applications or proposals and/or protocols must provide a description of
plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by
sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable;
and b) investigators must report annual accrual and progress in conducting
analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group
differences.
INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS:
The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of
21) must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported
by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include
them. This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for
receipt dates after October 1, 1998.
All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the inclusion of children as participants in
research involving human subjects that is available at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm
REQUIRED EDUCATION ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PARTICIPANTS: NIH
policy requires education on the protection of human subject participants for
all investigators submitting NIH proposals for research involving human
subjects. You will find this policy announcement in the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts Announcement, dated June 5, 2000, at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.
HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS (hESC): Criteria for federal funding of research on
hESCs can be found at http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp
and at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-005.html. Only
research using hESC lines that are registered in the NIH Human Embryonic Stem
Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (see http://escr.nih.gov).
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide, in the project description
and elsewhere in the application as appropriate, the official NIH identifier(s)
for the hESC line(s)to be used in the proposed research. Applications that
do not provide this information will be returned without review.
PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: The
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to
provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a
project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2)
cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action
that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed
through FOIA. It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope
of this amendment. NIH has provided guidance at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this PA in a public
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the
distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include
information about this in the budget justification section of the
application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure
informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the
potential for wider use of data collected under this award.
STANDARDS FOR PRIVACY OF INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION: The
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued final modification to
the “Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information”,
the “Privacy Rule,” on August 14, 2002. The Privacy Rule is a federal
regulation under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection of individually identifiable
health information, and is administered and enforced by the DHHS Office for
Civil Rights (OCR). Those who must comply with the Privacy Rule (classified
under the Rule as “covered entities”) must do so by April 14, 2003 (with the
exception of small health plans which have an extra year to comply).
Decisions about applicability and implementation of the Privacy Rule reside
with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR website
(http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/) provides information on the Privacy Rule, including
a complete Regulation Text and a set of decision tools on “Am I a covered
entity?” Information on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on NIH
processes involving the review, funding, and progress monitoring of grants,
cooperative agreements, and research contracts can be found at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html.
URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES: All applications and proposals
for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations.
Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs)
should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because
reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Furthermore,
we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they
directly access an Internet site.
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010: The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to
achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy
People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This
RFA is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may
obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.
AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the
intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health
Systems Agency review. Awards are made under the authorization of Sections
301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284)
and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All
awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other
considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The NIH Grants
Policy Statement can be found at
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free
workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products. In addition,
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in
certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early
childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of
the American people.